Tineovertex melliflua ( Meyrick, 1911 )

Huang, Guo-Hua, Hirowatari, Toshiya & Wang, Min, 2011, A revision of the genus Tineovertex Moriuti (Insecta: Lepidoptera: Tineidae), with descriptions of five new species, Zootaxa 2991, pp. 1-12 : 7-8

Tineovertex melliflua ( Meyrick, 1911)

( Figs. 2 A–B, 3G)

Tinea melliflua Meyrick 1911: 121 (type locality: Maskeliya, Ceylon ( Pole) ( Sri Lanka)). Tineovertex melliflua: Robinson & Tuck 1996: 10 ; Huang et al. 2007: 40.

Diagnosis. This species is similar to T. canicoma , but it can be distinguished from that species by the characters described in the diagnosis of T. canicoma .

Description. Forewing length 6.5–7.0 mm, antenna length about 7.0 mm in male ( Figs. 2 A–B).

Male. Head. Vertex and frons white. Thorax. Dorsum and tegula white with anterior portions of tegula black. Forewing, about 3.6–3.7 × as long as wide including fringe (about 3.4–3.5 × as long as wide excluding fringe); termen yellowish white, costa with a broad irregular black streak from base to near apex, dilated medially and reaching 1/3 across wing; a narrow and nearly straight black streak from dorsum base to apex, separating creamy-white and yellowish white areas. Hindwing yellowish brown, 2.0–2.2 × as long as wide including fringe (3.7–3.8 × as long as wide excluding fringe). Abdomen. Male genitalia ( Fig. 3 G) with uncus lobes widely separated, wedgeshaped, about 0.5 × length of valva; apex narrow and pointed. Saccus elongate, basally acute and triangular, nearly equal to valva in length. Valva elongate-spatulate, entirely narrow with apex rounded, slightly curved dorsally. Phallus tapered with apex uncinate, about 1.3 × length of valva; vesica with cornuti consisting of several narrow masses of minute spines.

Female. Unknown.

Type material. Lectotype (in BMNH), male, SRI LANKA: Maskeliya, IX.1905, leg. E. Meyrick, BM. 1938- 290. Paralectotypes (in BMNH), 2 males, same data as lectotype, with genitalia slide no. 32131 in BMNH.

Bionomics. Seasonal occurrence: September; the host is unknown.

Distribution. Sri Lanka.

Remarks. This species is known only from the type locality.

Figures

FIGURE 2. Adults and labels of Tineovertex spp. A – B. “ Tinea melliflua Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Lectotype; C. Tineovertex fibriformis, sp. nov., Male, Holotype; D. Tineovertex fibriformis, sp. nov., Female, Paratype; E. Tineovertex expansa, sp. nov., Male, Holotype; F. Tineovertex expansa, sp. nov., Female, Paratype; G – H. “ Tinea antidroma Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Lectotype; I. Tineovertex elongata, sp. nov., Male, Holotype (also see Huang et al., 2007: Fig. 2 C).

FIGURE 3. Genitalia of Tineovertex spp. A. “ Tinea melanochrysa Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Paralectotype; B. Tineovertex gladiata Huang, Hirowatari & Wang, 2007, (Left: Male, Holotype; Right: Female, Paratype); C. “ Tinea canicoma Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Paralectotype; D. Tineovertex thailandia, sp. nov., Female, Holotype; E. “ Tinea sartoria Meyrick, 1911 ”, (Left: Male, Holotype; Right: Female); F. Tineovertex hamoides, sp. nov., Male, Holotype; G. “ Tinea melliflua Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Paralectotype; H. Tineovertex fibriformis, sp. nov., (Left: Male, Holotype; Right: Female, Paratype); I. Tineovertex expansa, sp. nov., (Left: Male, Holotype; Right: Female, Paratype); J. “ Tinea antidroma Meyrick, 1911 ”, Male, Paralectotype; K. Tineovertex elongata, sp. nov., Male, Holotype.